twenty eight.

mom, me and daddy - October 1984

1. i was born at 7:44pm, October 1st on an American base in an American hospital in the Philippines 28 years ago.

2. my all time favorite ice cream is cake batter ice cream from Cold Stone, mixed in with lots of cookie dough.

3. Wicked is my favorite Broadway. i have seen it 4x and been backstage 2x.

4. i love all kinds of candy - especially sour patch kids/watermelon, reese's peanut butter cups, jolly ranchers, airheads and sweet-tarts!

5. i have 2 sisters, Kristine and Ashley who are my best friends - one is married and lives in Iowa, and i live with the other one who keeps life hilarious every day.

6. there is nothing like getting sucked into a good book and staying up super late to finish it.

7. oh, wait. getting sucked into a good movie or tv series are high up on my list too.

8. i am 100% filipina. i can understand Tagalog really well, but cannot speak it fluently. sad, but true.

9. i have a hard time re-reading books; however, Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott is the only book i've read more than once.

10. my relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship in my life.

11. i spend too much money on food and music.

12. i have never broken a bone in my body.

13. i don't believe in bad luck. (heh, see what i did there?)

14. i believe in family and am blessed with the best one in the world.

15. when people guess my age, they always guess that i am nineteen. hopefully, they keep guess that for many years to come.

me with my mom and uncle, eating cake with shifty eyes.

16. i prefer cupcakes over actual cakes (red velvet with cream cheese frosting are da best).

17. i am team edward, team damon, and team peeta.

18. my life long dream is to write a book.

19. when i grow up and become famous, the first person that i would want to interview me is Ryan Seacrest.

20. coffee is a major problem addiction in my life.

21. i grew up a military brat, living all over the East Coast and overseas in Japan and the Philippines.

22.  i have only fallen in love with one person in my life - and it's with my best friend and fiance, Ryan.

23. sometimes i think i'm Jim from The Office, looking off to the side for a camera to understand the awkwardness of the moment.

24. i have a weakness for McDonald french fries.

25. the first chapter book i ever read was Trumpet of the Swam by E.B. White.

26. i start every morning with a cup of coffee, reading my Bible and writing in my journal.

27. when i go to the movies, i have to show up early enough to get the best seat, my popcorn, and so that i have time to go to the bathroom before the previews (i love previews!).

28. i still get excited over birthday celebrations! i don't need a party but i do love it when i can spend it with people that i love the most. today's my birthday and i get to do that very thing. and i get to continue my birthday celebration through the weekend when i visit Ryan in GA - woohoo!

me and my first teddy bear.

and now, my friend, if you made it through all 28 of these random facts, then we might need to throw a celebration for you! i am very impressed. *wink* and to anyone else who might have a birthday today, happy birthday to you, too, friend! 

much love.

{happy monday, friend.}

before the cold monster completely knocked me out.

 yesterday morning, i woke up with the worst cold that i've had in a long time. i woke up every hour the night before, sneezing, blowing my nose, and apparently creating the biggest pile of used Kleenexes on the floor of my bedroom. so i didn't get much sleep and my body was fighting chills and a horrible cold. 

either way i was determined to still make it to the local book sale downtown. our local library hosts it every year, selling used books at super affordable prices - and so i go to it every year, stocking up on books friends have recommended or getting hard copies of some of my favorite books on my Kindle. i got my hands on a copy of The Glass Caste and The Devil in the Windy City, two books that several people have recommended so i'm excited to get started on them. call me crazy but i had to buy a copy of The Hunger Games. though i already have a copy, i plan to keep it on my shelf for me to pass on to some Hunger Games-deprived soul. i know he or she will forever be grateful. 

even though i was sneezing and scrambling for a Kleenex every 10 seconds, my sister and i stopped by our favorite coffee shop - tea for me, a coconut latte for her. we then sat down on swing, watching a man play volley ball with his dog (it was quite amazing!) and watch the river for dolphins (no joke - since these rivers are connected to the Atlantic ocean, we see dolphins make their appearance in this area). i love mini adventures like that with my sister. made me think we should do more of them in this little town. 

as for my cold, i ended up going up and crashing hard - camping out in the living room all afternoon and evening, and looks like i'll be doing more of that today. as annoying as colds are, in a way i'm thankful to have an excuse to take a break from everything. sometimes i think God allows us to be sick so that we can take a breather 'cause without them, we end up running ourselves ragged. 

seems like lots of people are battling colds this week (according to my facebook/twitter) - so for those of you like me, take care of your bad selves! drink lots of OJ. watch too much tv or start that book you've been meaning to start. and if you aren't camped out in the living, go outside and run some laps for us sickies. happy weekend to all of you, good people!

much love.

{happy weekend, friend.}

one smashing September group giveaway, folks!!!

today i have the perfect giveaway for one of you lucky Much Love, illy readers!

two of my fabulous September sponsors are giving away some beautiful handmade goodies (just in time to add to your autumn wardrobe!) and even free ad space on one of their blogs.

now is that a smashing good time or what?! 

***

meet Alli of Life on Leroy.

find her over at her blog and twitter, 

giving away this arrow chevron geometric tribal necklace and 1 month of medium ad space! 

meet Jac of Jac & Elsie.

find her over at her shop / twitter / facebook / blog

giving away a set of not one, not two but three Full of Awesome necklaces! Winner gets to select her choice of a variety of Czech glass beads to be included with the necklaces.

***

so want in?!

and get this: it's WINNER TAKES ALL!

join me in my happy autumn dance, will you?!

{how to enter:}

be a public GFC follower of this blog!

(mandatory entry - that's it!)

{really, really wanna win?}

additional entries - keep in separate comments to count as individual entries

- follow, like or heart any of the listed links above and lemme know for which sponsors!

- tweet, blog or facebook about this giveaway and lemme know that you did - include link, pls!

feel free to copy/paste the following tweet:

crossing my fingers to win the smashing September group giveaway over @muchloveilly!! http://t.co/ubeFhfwG

Giveaway is open to ALL Much Love, illy readers thru Wednesday, Oct. 3rd.

Winner will be announced on Thursday, Oct. 4th.

much love.

{happy thursday, friend.}

let's talk about.

 floppy hat, vest, white tee: Forever 21 / jeans: american eagle / pink oxfords: c/o Bait Footwear / lipstick (moxie): c/o Radiant Cosmetics

let's talk about...

how floppy hats are a must this season.

that i never get tired of this black vest (or making goofy faces).

and that pink oxfords should stick around all year long.

let's talk about...

the fact that there is nothing in the world like sour patch watermelons 

(other than the original sour patch kids, of course).

how this season demands a constant stock of apple cider and candy corn.

that lately i've been craving a Five Guys burger and some of their fries, dipped in hot sauce.

let's talk about...

the excitement i have over the DVD release of The Avengers.

how my personal rule of one Vampire Diaries episode a night is continually being broken.

how i'm still (sadly) in a reading rut - any recommendations for a good book?

now your turn! what do you want to talk about, friend?

grab a mug of caramel apple cider and let's chit-chat!

much love

{happy wednesday, friend.}

p.s. are you Sydney (#1) of Bravo Coconut 'cause you just won the For Lauren and Lauren giveaway! shoot me an email at muchloveilly at gmail dot com with your mailing address and your choice of necklace so that we can get your goodies to you ASAP! congrats to Sydney and thank you Katie for a fantabulous giveaway! 

sponsor love + giveaway with Royal Daughter Designs.

meet amanda of Royal Daughter Designs.

Hi y'all! I'm Amanda and I blog at Royal Daughter Designs. I'm a country girl, farming and ranching on 8 beautiful Texas acres. My husband, Mr. E., is a minister and a seminary professor and  I'm a small business owner and graduate student. I'm a has-been foster mom, a self-proclaimed animal lover, laundry procrastinator, sweet tea junkie, and high-heel hater. RDD is a Christian Lifestyle blog where I do my little part to inspire others. But not in the DIY kind of way. I'm also a blog designer, I love helping people beautify their online space to make it a representation of who they are!

if you are just like i was a few months ago, i was in major of cleaning up my blog and just freshening things up around here on the blog - so look no further! Royal Daughter Designs offers clean, colorful layouts at affordable rates. i also personally think that Amanda is the sweetest thing and is one of the easiest persons to communicate with - which i think is a major plus for any designer! and come on, as an animal lover myself, i'm already a big fan of this woman! 

{giveaway:}

Royal Daughter Design is giving away a second-chance design! The winner can pick from one of 5 designs found HERE (each one valued $100+)! woohoo! 

{how to enter:}

be a public GFC follower of Royal Daughter Designs!

(mandatory entry)

{really, really wanna win?}

additional entries - please keep in separate comments to count as individual entries! 

- Like the Royal Daughter Designs Facebook page (1 entry)

- be a public GFC follower of this blog (1 entry)

- follow Royal Daugher Designs via Instagram (1 entry)

- pin anything from the Royal Daughter Designs to YOUR pinterest board and include its link (1 entry)

- follow @muchloveilly and @aroyaldaughter via Twitter (1 entry)

- tweet, blog or facebook about this giveaway and include its link (1 entry)

feel free to copy/paste the following tweet:

i want to freshen up my blog-design so i entered the @aroyaldaughter blog design giveaway over @muchloveilly! http://t.co/t7Wh3n2T

{don't wanna wait?}

email Amanda at royaldaughterdesigns at yahoo dot com with MUCHLOVE in the subject line for 15% off of a custom or customizable pre-made blog design! 

Giveaway is open to ALL Much Love, illy readers thru October  1st.

Winner will be announced on October 2nd.

much love.

{happy monday, friend.}

keep me company, pretty please?!

so, guys, i'm hanging out over at HERE my friend, Jessica's part of blog world! we talking it up about my favorite things about the fall season and i totally want to hear what yours are! so don't be shy - be sure to swing by and say 'hello' so that i'm not so lonely over there. i'm counting on you!

much love.

{happy monday, friend.}

p.s. also be sure to enter the For Lauren and Lauren giveaway! today is the LAST day!

last day of summer.

some of my favorite memories stem from this past summer. whether heart-wrenching disappointment to the peace of laying out under the stars or a giddy rush of adrenaline, all of those experiences from this past summer, the good and the bad,  i look back at those moments and know that they have and will continue to shape the person that i am and only makes me love Jesus and life even more. 

i cannot wait to see what autumn brings 

well, besides the obvious pumpkin spice latte. duh.

much love

{happy friday, friend.}

currently: Asian iCandy, florals, and other junk.

 black over-sized top: c/o Lamixx / pants: borrowed from the little sis / floral heels: madden girl, belk / bag: c/o Asian i-Candy / neon hue ring: c/o Le Mode Accessories / leather bracelet: c/o Salvage West / lipstick (daphne) : c/o Radiant Cosmetics 

Obsessed: oh, where to start? i feel like this week has been filled with mini obsessions - from starting Season 3 of The Vampire Diaries to my continued obsession over dunking Chips A-hoy cookies in milk. i also am obsessing over this bag from my friends at Asian I-Candy. i can easily use it for any upcoming roadtrips, one of those bags that you stuff and run out the door (you know like in movies? when in real life, there is no way i could ever get away with that! i'm always screaming at the actress, um, what about your facewash? your toothbrush? don't you think you'll need tampons even when you run away from home?! come on - please, tell me that i am not the only one that thinks this!)

Reading: you know i love books; however, my reading life has greatly suffered. whether being too busy to start a book or to be too tired to stay up the extra half hour to read before bed or possibly using that half hour before bed to watch an episode of Stefan and Damon fight over Elaina. uh-yeah, might be the latter part that is making my book life suffer. i did start a couple of books - i just need to finish them! 

Looking forward to: seeing Ryan in October! it's been a crazy couple of months for both of us, so it didn't work out for us to see each other last month or this month, so we are super excited to finally have a weekend together! woohoo! (an easy excuse to use my new Asian i-candy bag, right?!)

Fashion obsession: anyone else being drawn to darker, warmer colors of autumn! *raises hand* me! i'm loving anything maroon or dark plum. ooooh, and i'm loving polka dots more than usual too. i also am loving wearing a black top and black pants and then showcasing an accessory - whether a statement necklace, shoes, or (bah-bam!) a colorful bag! 

Music: i have loved Fun. since they released We Are Young  or Some Nights. recently i heard Carry On, and i cannot stop listening to it! they are so...fun! (snicker, snicker). my sister also introduced me to Ed Sheeran, and his song Lego House is another song being placed on loop on my ipod. OH! and Karmin's new song, Hello - totally gonna learn the rap to it. no joke. 

Thinking about:  another random list of things for you, good people - dying my hair completely jet black (the shade where it's almost blue). learning to play guitar. what i want to do for my birthday this year (any ideas?). how much i enjoyed substitute teaching last week and day-dreaming about how fun it would be teach a literature class. my small group of high school students i will get to hang out with tomorrow night. and how good life is that we should savor every bit of it - no matter where we are planted, it's important that we bloom, living life to the fullest...dontcha think?

i got this awesome idea from Danielle of Sometimes Sweet! feel free to link-up your own Currently posts in the comment section - i'd love to check them out! 

much love.

{happy thursday, friend.}